Life preserver



J. STROBEL.

LIFE PRESERVER. APPLICATION FILED JUNE23, 1-921.

1,416,523, Patented May 16, 1922.

'20' llfllllvlill'lllll Z0 WITN88E8 T g L g ATTORNEYS JACOB STROBEL, .OF NEW' YORK, N. Y.

LIFE PBESERVER.

Application filed June 23, 1921.

T 0 all 10 hom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB SrnoBnL, a citi- Zen of the United States, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented a new and 1111- proved Life Preserver, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to improvements in life preservers of the general character disclosed in LettersPatent of the-United States No. 1,001,476, issued to me on August 22nd, 1911. In my prior patentI disclosed a life belt which was mechanically distended while being strapped on and which included an air chamber which was automatically filled as the belt was distended.

An object of this invention is to provide a novel form of valve for positively preventing the escape of air from, or the entrance of water into the air chamber, and to provide improved means for actuating the valve.

Another object is to provide means permitting of the rapid donning of the belt; to provide a novel means for holding the belt in collapsed position when it is not in use, and to make certain slight changes and alterations in the belt which will tend to make it more buoyant, more durable and efiicient in use, and more simple and practical in construction.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certainnovel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of parts, as will be more fully hereinafter described and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating the manner of use of the belt;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view in longitudinal section on the line f22 of:Figure 1; Figure 3 is a fragmentary detail view in longitudinal section through the inlet port illustrating the valve in open position;

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the belt with parts broken away for clearness;

Figure 5 is an edge view of Figure t; Figure 6 is a view in transverse section through the belt illustrating the shape of one of the partitions or strengthening ribs;

Figure 7 is a view in elevation illustrating the belt secured in collapsed position;

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 16, 1922,

Serial no. iv/9,805.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary view in elevat-ion illustrating the details of the adjustable buckle; and

Figure 9 is a view in longitudinal section through one end of the belt.

' Referring in detail to the drawings, 1 represents a tubular belt of any suitable waterproof and flexible material. The air chamber within the belt is closed at its ends by end walls 2 and 3. At regular intervals throughout the length of the belt, I provide separate and independent reenforcing braces 4. These braces are preferably of elliptical shape disclosed in F igureG, having a relatively large central opening therein. Each brace holds'its adjacent portion of the belt distended when .the belt is extended to its full length, as illustrated in Figures 4 and 5. The braces are preferably of balsa wood or some similar light strong material'which will add to the buoyancy of the belt when it is in the collapsed position illustrated in Figure 7. Each of the braces a are con nected to a pair of parallelflexible strips 5- and the ends of the strips are connected to the end walls 2 and 3 of the airchamber. By connecting the braces to the strips 5, the necessity of inserting securing devices through the waterproof covering of the belt is obviated and the danger. of leakage is thereby avoided. A plate 6 secured to the end wall 3 is formed with an'integral outstruck hook 7 fora purpose which will here inafter appear. The end wall 2 is provided with an air port in the form of a bushing 8.

A metal plate 8' secured to the outer face of the wall 2'is formed with an opening registering with the-bushing and accommodating the outwardly presented end thereof.

A. pair of outwardly presented brackets 9 are integral with one end of the plate. A shaft 10 is mounted in the brackets. A valve carrying member in the form of a flanged plate 11 is mounted to pivot on the shaft 10. A valve 12 carried by the free end of the plate 11 normally closes the air port and torsion springs 13 around the shaft 10 tend to hold thevalvein open position. Adjacent the other end of the plate 8', a pair of brackets 14L are provided in alignment with the air port. A shaft 15 is journaled in these brackets.

A retainer member for holding the valve in closed position includes a handle 16 and r engageable over the hook 7.

a cam arm 17. The retainer is pivoted on the shaft 15 at the point of connection of the cam arm and handle, and if desired, the entire retainer may be formed from a single piece of wire bent into the desired shape. When the handle is swung, the cam member engages the free end of the plate 11 and moves the valve 12 into closed position. A roller such as 18 may be journaled on the arm 17 to eliminate undue friction between this arm and the free end of the plate 11.

A. strap 19 is connect-ed at one end to the shaft 15, and an adjustable buckle 2 is slidable upon the strap and includes a loop 21 The buckle 2( slides freely upon the strap 19 when the strap is pulled in one direction, but frictionally engages the strap when the strap is pulled in the other direction, so that when a wearer assumes the belt, as indicated in Figure 1, the strap 19 may be comfortably tightened and there will be no danger of the strap accidentally becoming loosened.

V hen the belt is in the collapsed position illustrated in Figure 7, the strap 19 is used to hold the belt in a compact bundle. It is to be noted that by virtue of the peculiar light and buoyant braces which are used, the belt even in folded position will float upon the water and will support about four pounds dead weight, so that the belt may be conveniently thrown to a man overboard and may be donned in the water.

The manner of use of the apparatus will of course be readily understood. The belt is ordinarily carried in the folded position illustrated in Figure 7. When it becomes necessary to put on the belt, the buckle 20 is unhooked from the hook 7, the handle 16 is moved to open the valve 12, the operator grasps the opposite ends of the belt and pulls it to its full extended position, as shown in Figures 1 and 5. As the belt is pulled to its extended position, the air will rush into the air chamber since the valve 12 is held open by the springs 13. In other Words, extending of the belt automatically fills the same with air. As soon as the belt is filled with air, the valve 12 is closed by operating the handle 16. lhe wearer places the belt around his or her waist, hooks the buckle 20 on to the hook '7 and pulls the strap 19 until the belt is comfortably tight. lhe construction of the buckle 20 prevents accidental retrograde movement of the strap 19.

Although I have illustrated one of the preferred embodiments of my invention, it will be apparent that various slight changes and alterations might be made in the general form and arrangement of the parts described without departing from the invention and hence I do not wish to limit myself to the precise details set forth, but shall consider myself at liberty to make such slight changes and alterations as fairly fall Within the spirit and scope of the appended clalms.

I claim:

1. A flexible tubular life belt, including rigid end walls, one of said end walls having an air port therein, a spring held plate pivoted on the outer face of said wall, a valve carried by the plate, and means having roll.- ing engagement with the plate to close the valve against the action of the spring.

2. A flexible tubular life belt, including rigid end walls, one of said end walls having an air port therein, a spring held plate pivoted on the outer face of said wall, a valve carried by the plate, means having rolling engagement with the plate to close the valve against the action of the spring, said means comprising a cam, a lever associated with the cam, and a sleeve around the cam having rolling engagement with the plate upon operation of the lever.

3. A flexible tubular collapsible life belt including rigid end walls, braces in the belt between the end walls adapted to cooperate with the end walls in mechanically distending the belt when it is extended, one of said ends walls having an air port therein, a valve carrying plate pivoted on the outer face of said wall adjacent the air port, a valve carried by said plate and controlling the passage of air through said port, springs associated with the plate tending to retain said valve in open position, a lever, means engageable with the plate upon operation of the lever for seating the valve on the air port.

4. A flexible tubular collapsible life belt including rigid end walls, braces in thebelt between the end walls adapted to cooperate with the end walls in mechanically distending the belt when it is extended, one of said end walls having an air port therein, a valve carrying plate pivoted on the outer face of said wall adjacent the air port, a valve carried by said plate and controlling the passage of air through said port, springs associated with the plate tending to retain said valve in open position, a lever, means engageable with the plate upon operation of the lever for seating the valve on the air port, and means controlled by the position of the lever for positively locking the valve in closed position.

J AGOB STROBEL. 

